


From Online to Real Life

by Quagswagging



Series: Gift Fic Monday [10]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Charles is a tiktok star, Dogs, Friendship, Lando Dan and Lewis are vets, M/M, Max is a little shit, Online Dating, TikTok, Veterinary Clinic, so all the usual stuff lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25108060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quagswagging/pseuds/Quagswagging
Summary: The first time Lando sees one of Charles's TikTok videos, he is an awe.The first time Lando messages with Charles, he feels butterflies in his stomach.The first time Lando meets Charles, he panics.
Relationships: Charles Leclerc/Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen
Series: Gift Fic Monday [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1730953
Comments: 16
Kudos: 127





	From Online to Real Life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Its_a_yoke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Its_a_yoke/gifts).



> Hello there, it's monday once again! I've had this in the making for about two weeks already, after hedgehogfrog (ravenclawqueer) asked me to write this! This one is for the amazing its_a_yoke, who I've been told has a bit of a weakness for Lando/Charles hehe (same tho, same). And ofcourse has written some amazing Lando/Charles fic where Lando is an aerialist which is just *chef's kiss*
> 
> I struggled a bit with getting the storyline under control, as it was getting out of hand CONSTANTLY but I am very happy with the result! It's definitely a bit less tiktok-focused than was intended but I hope you still like it! I just had to involve tiktok in this is I so love your tiktok f1 compilations jsjs
> 
> Hope you enjoy and have a lovely day <3

The first time Lando saw a video of Charles, he was in awe. He had been looking through the feed on TikTok when one of Charles's more popular videos passed by. Charles was shirtless in the video, seeming ever so slightly flustered as he danced to 'Laxed Siren'. Lando had wanted to scroll past first, thinking it was just another wannabe model, but something about Charles's soft smile at the end of the video had made him go to the man's profile. 

Charles's username was "CharlieBaby" and honestly it made Lando cringe a little. Still, Lando was positively surprised when he found Charles's profile was a good mix of comedy sketches, challenges and the occasional dance video. Lando had hit 'follow' right away. 

CharlieBaby was quite popular on TikTok, and with good reason. Charles was beautiful and witty and while he did show incredible amounts of 'HIMBO' energy, he was also sweet and caring and did a lot for charity. Lando was addicted to seeing him on the little screen of his phone within a few days. 

It took him a month before he dared to comment on a video. It was a video to Charles lip-synching to an excerpt of a French tv series, wearing a small fake moustache. 

_"You should consider growing that in real life, it will get you all the girls."_ He commented late at night, hiding behind a vague username, 'GamerDude4', almost as cringeworthy as Charles's own username. It was only the next morning that Lando realised Charles had answered to his comment. 

_"Who said I'd want the girls? ;)"_ the comment read, and Lando felt his heart make a leap.

He commented more often after that, and even dared to put some more information in his own profile - a blurry picture of himself, his age and where he was from - in hopes it would somehow interest Charles. He still watched Charles's videos almost religiously, enjoying the man's humour and soft smiles. There was just something about him Lando couldn't get enough of. 

Charles often made videos with his younger brother Arthur, and those videos were arguably the funniest. It was clear they had a lot of fun making those videos, and it made Lando miss his own siblings, having moved away to London to study. 

And no matter how hard he tried to hide it, his love for Charles's videos didn't go unnoticed by his friends.

"Ahh looking at your TikTok lover again?" Max chuckled one day, wiggling his eyebrows as he sat down next to Lando. Lando regretted the day he had decided to share an apartment with the Dutchman.

"Go back to drooling over that Youtube veterinarian." Lando retorded. Max smirked. 

"At least my YouTube veterinarian knows my name. And said Youtube vet gave you your first job so be kind to him" He purred. Lando sighed and rolled his eyes, but stayed quiet. What Max said was true after all, he had been struggling to find a veterinary hospital to do his internship at - being in his last year of vet school - and Daniel had not hesitated to take Lando on when Max had told him about the young Brit. Daniel was a good guy, and a great vet, and while Lando often joked about Dan’s Youtube channel, he was very grateful for the Aussie and often even helped to edit the videos. 

Lando was so distracted that he didn’t even notice Max had taken his phone until the Dutchman spoke up.

"This is really your type?" Max asked curiously, looking at the video of Charles and Arthur re-enacting Baywatch. Lando blushed, pulling his legs up to his chest.

"He is very sweet." He murmured. Max raised an eyebrow.

"You've talked to him?" He asked. Lando groaned, shaking his head.

"I've commented a few times, and he always replies to me, but that's it." He murmured. Max smirked, and Lando did not like that look at all.

"Let's change that." He grinned, getting up and running out of Lando's reach. 

“God no- Max! Max stop!” Lando groaned, running after Max, but the Dutchman was much faster on his much longer legs.

“Hi Charles! I hope it’s okay I’m reaching out to you, but I really wanted to say hi. XOXO Lando.” Max read out loud as he typed away on Lando’s phone. Lando had paled considerably, and he was upset once he got his phone back from Max.

“I’m going to my room.” Lando muttered. Max, who had clearly just been trying to help, blinked in surprise and tugged Lando into a hug.

“You really like him…” he muttered, seeing the way Lando reacted. Lando shrugged uselessly. Max’s face softened as he gently ruffled Lando’s hair.

“I’m sorry then, I thought it was just a little crush. I’m sure he’ll like the fact you messaged him though, he’d be lucky to have you.” Max muttered against the top of his head. Lando sighed, silently forgiving Max, but did not dare to look at his phone for the remainder of the day. 

~~~~~~

“Lando! Can you help me with the puppies?” Daniel called the moment Lando stepped into the small animal clinic. Lando threw his bag and coat to the side, washing his hands before running over without changing into his scrubs. He had noticed a slightly stressed edge to Daniel’s tone and knew it was better to hurry. 

“Some of them are not breathing yet, rub them with a towel to get their systems going.” Daniel instructed, meanwhile stitching up the beagle who had clearly just had a c-section. Lewis, the other main vet, was in the room too, already working on two puppies while Sacha, one of the other interns, was fussing over 4 already squeaking and wiggling pups. Lando washed his hands quickly and took the last puppy, the runt of the litter, into his hands, rubbing it dry with a soft towel to mimic what the mother dog would normally do when the pups were born. The pup was small, tiny even, and Lando felt adrenaline pumping through his veins as he focused all his attention on the little, helpless creature in his hands. 

“Come on…” Lando mumbled, running his fingers over the pup’s nose and mouth to make sure the airways were open. For a moment, he was sure he had been too late, but then the puppy let out a soft squeak, and Lando relaxed again.

God he loved his job. 

“Well done, Lando.” Lewis praised, taking the puppy from him and placing him with the rest of the litter. Daniel was done stitching up the mama dog too, walking over to look over the little pups. Lando now realised that Nico Hülkenberg, Dan’s cameraman, was there too, and instantly blushed. He always tried to steer clear of being caught on video, but he hadn’t even realised Dan was filming today.

“Go take a quick break Lando, take your time getting changed.” Daniel told him with a grateful smile. “You did good.” 

Lando already felt tired, and he had only been at work for less than 30 minutes. He settled in the small breakroom, grabbing a cup of coffee - he still wasn’t quite used to the flavour, but he needed the caffeine to function - while he checked his phone. 

His heart skipped a beat when his notifications showed someone had sent him a message on TikTok. He opened it instantly, worriedly nibbling on his bottom lip, before letting out an unconscious squeak when he read the message. 

_‘Hey Lando, I was hoping you’d message me, your comments always make me smile :) How are you today? x Charles’_

Charles Freaking Leclerc had messaged him, Charles wanted to know if he was doing okay. Lando felt his cheeks heat up, thumbs trembling slightly as he hesitated on what to answer. 

_‘I’m doing quite okay, Just arrived at work and already saved a few puppies, they were so small it was unreal! How are you?’_ he answered, before realising it made him sound like a show-off. He was therefore surprised when Charles even bothered to reply at all, let alone in under 5 minutes.

 _Aww that’s awesome! I love animals. Are you a vet then? I’m doing well, thanks, just working on my master’s thesis rn._ Charles had answered. Lando was surprised to hear about the Master thesis, but at the same time, he already knew from the few ‘study tips’ videos Charles had made that he was a student. Lando wanted to answer, but he then heard Daniel call for him. Lando immediately jumped to his feet, dropping his phone and rushing to get changed. Surely Charles would understand.

~~~~~~~~

Lando watched a bit exasperatingly as Max practically draped himself against Daniel’s side, drawing the man into a sloppy kiss. 

Go out with your friends they said, it will be fun they said.

"I think we're showing a bit too much PDA for Lando's liking." Daniel mumbled, but he wasn't moving away from Max at all. Max shrugged and kissed him again, but then finally sat back down in his own seat.

"I'm sure he'll manage." The Dutchman muttered, raising an eyebrow in Lando's direction. Lando rolled his eyes and focused on his smoothie. He glanced at his phone but did not dare open his messages. He had been talking to Charles almost daily for close to a month now, but he wasn't about to admit that to Dan and Max.

He loved talking to Charles, he really did. Charles was as witty and kind as Lando had expected, and they got along great. They had switched to using other messenger apps after a few days, after Charles had proposed to do so, and Lando was honoured Charles had done so, especially after learning Charles was a rather private person. Charles often sent him pictures, even selfies, but so far Lando had stuck to pictures where his face was only partially visible. He was afraid that when Charles would see his face, he would realise how out of Lando’s league he really was.

“Lando? Are you still with us?” Max chuckled at the dreamy look on the Brit’s face. Lando blinked.

“Hmm? Yeah of course I am.” he mumbled, hoping he wasn’t blushing too much. Max gave him a curious look.

“Are you okay, little one?” Max asked, going full ‘protective big brother mode’. Lando sighed.

“Just tired.” he murmured. Daniel leaned in closer too, brown eyes staring into Lando’s. When Daniel smiled, Lando knew shit was about to go down.

“Are you thinking about that TikTok boy?” he purred. Lando groaned and dropped his face into his hands. Max perked up.

“What about TikTok boy?” he asked. Lando bit his lip, knowing he should have talked to Max sooner.

“We’ve been messaging,” Lando mumbled, avoiding Max’s eyes. He heard Max let out a squeak, clearly about to go into a rant, but Daniel nudged him, making a shushing sound. Max took a deep breath.

“That’s great.” he settled for saying, even though Lando knew he wanted to say something along the lines of ‘I told you so’. Lando looked up at the two men through his lashes.

“I really like him.” he mumbled, before groaning in frustration and resting his head back in his hands. “It’s stupid, he hasn’t even seen a good picture of me, or he’d have blocked me by now for sure.” he grumbled. Max tutted.

“Stop it, you’re a catch.” he said firmly, making Lando smile lightly again. Suddenly, Daniel’s pager went off, and Lando perked up as Daniel checked the small screen.

“There is an emergency at the clinic.” Daniel said, wide smile gone as he jumped up and grabbed his coat.

“I’ll come with you.” Lando spoke up.

“I’ll drive you.” Max chuckled, getting up too and grabbing the keys to his Aston Martin.

When they arrived at the clinic, they found Lewis already struggling with a terrified stray dog, the young pup whining and growling as he hid under the table.

“He was hit by a car, a passerby found him.” Lewis told him. “I need to go, the cat from earlier is still in surgery.” he added, giving the end of the makeshift leash to Lando. Lando instantly dropped to his knees, cooing softly at the growling dog. 

“It’s okay, buddy, you’re safe.” Lando cooed at the scared animal. 

“Who brought him in?” Daniel asked, putting on gloves before kneeling down as well.

“I'll go check.” Max spoke up, eying the dog in distrust. As much as Lando and Dan loved animals, Max was more than a little unsure about them. 

“We need to get him a scan, to see if he has any broken bones.” Daniel told Lando, already readying some anaesthetic. Lando nodded, gently tugging the leash before simply crawling under the table to sit next to the dog. The pup was still wary of him but did not try to attack him. Lando counted it as a win.

“Are you hurt?” Lando gently asked, stroking the dogs head before slowly leading it out of the hiding spot.

They spent the next hour doing blood tests and scans, but surprisingly enough, the dog, although still scared, seemed absolutely fine. 

“I’ll get the guy who brought him in to see him.” Daniel said, taking off his gloves. Lando was sitting on the table, the dog’s head resting on his lap as he had finally calmed down. Lando was gently stroking the dog’s head, smiling as the dog’s tail wagged hesitantly. 

“Come on through.” Daniel said, leading someone into the room. When Lando looked up, he flinched, scaring the dog in progress. 

Charles Leclerc stared at him with a curious expression.

“Do I… Do I know you?” Charles asked slowly, walking closer to gently pat the dog. The animal huffed and happily leaned into the man’s touch. Lando averted his eyes and shook his head.

“No.” he said firmly, hopping off the table even if the dog let out a sad whine. He made to leave the room, ignoring the sad look on Daniel’s face, who had clearly realised who Charles was. 

“Pity, I would have loved to meet GamerBoy4 in real life.” Charles said, barely loud enough for Lando to hear. Lando stilled in the doorway, glancing over his shoulder with wide eyes. Charles was still petting the dog, whose tail was wagging happily. There was a soft smile on his face, but his eyes were sad.

“Do I not disappoint you?” Lando blurted out. Daniel gently squeezed his shoulder, sighing softly, and then left the room to offer them some privacy. 

“Disappoint me?” Charles asked softly, carefully lifting the dog of the table. Lando sighed, anxiously playing with the hem of his shirt.

“I’m not exactly good-looking.” he mumbled awkwardly. Why was Charles still here? Why had Charles not pretended not to recognize him? 

“No you’re not.” Charles answered with a shrug. Lando flinched, cheeks heating up as he quickly averted his eyes again, He knew it, Charles was way out of his league, Charles would never-

“You’re gorgeous, Lando.” Charles said quickly, stepping forward and placing his hand on Lando’s shoulder. Lando wasn’t sure what to believe anymore.

“Are you going to keep the dog?” he asked, wanting to change the subject. The dog, who seemed happy enough to get some attention, let out a happy whine when Lando booped its nose. 

“Yeah, definitely.” Charles said, seeming surprised at the sudden change in subject. Lando nodded.

“Good, you just need to fill out some forms but nothing too difficult.” he whispered, still not daring to look Charles in the eye. 

“Lando, please just look at me.” Charles whispered, hand gently curling around Lando’s chin to bring his face up. “I thought you’d be happy to see me, even if it’s a bit of a surprise..” he muttered sadly. Lando let out a shaky breath.

“I-I am. Just really overwhelmed.” he whispered. “I need a minute, sorry.” he added, before rushing away from the Monégasque. 

A minute turned into much more than just that, and Lando hid in the breakroom until the Monégasque left, no matter how much Dan tried to coax him to the front desk. He then proceeded to barely talk to anyone until Max came to pick him up.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Max told Daniel, pressing a chaste kiss to the vet’s lips as Dan had decided to help Lewis with some of the patients. Lando was quietly waiting at the door, his bag held to his stomach. Max gave him a soft smile, slinging his arm over Lando’s shoulder as they headed out the door.

“Come on, we need to talk.” 

~~~~~~

The ‘talk’ ended up with Lando curled on Max’s lap, crying his heart out as he muttered about how he would never be good enough for anyone, let alone someone like Charles. Max just held him, even though the Dutchman wasn’t exactly fond of hugging. Max even went across the hall afterwards to steal the cat of their neighbours George and Alex. Lando couldn't help but smile as Max awkwardly carried the cat inside, whispering at it to 'please stay still'. Valentina the cat was an easy cat though, and did not mind at all when she was placed on Lando's lap.

"You are a great guy, Lando, and Charles seemed to know that. The only thing that's keeping you apart is you." Max told Lando as the younger man buried his face in Valentina's fur. 

"But he-" Lando objected. Max shook his head.

"Give him a chance, he genuinely seemed to like you, inside and out." Max told him, awkwardly patting Valentina's head. Lando sighed.

"You think so?" He asked. Max smiled and nodded.

"Very much so." He said strongly. "He clearly liked you." He added, pressing his hand over Lando's mouth as the Brit wanted to object again.

"Don't put yourself down like that." Max sighed. Lando's phone beeped then, making Lando flinch. He got out his phone and checked the notifications

'CharlieBaby' has tagged you in a video. 

"Open it!" Max said instantly. Lando swallowed thickly but then opened it.

It was a short video of Charles on his sofa, the dog he had saved sprawled halfway over his lap.

"I found Sebastian this morning after he was hit by a car." Charles explained, the dog, now apparently called Sebastian, eagerly nudging his hand for pats. "I took him to a clinic to get checked over, and because he was too terrified for me to help him alone. He is doing much better now, and that's all thanks to the amazing vets. Especially Lando, who I had been looking forward to meeting ever since we started talking. I'm sorry if I did anything to offend you, and I hope you'll want to see me again. You're amazing." Charles finished gently, before waving at the camera and closing it down. 

"Do you need any more hints?" Max chuckled. "Text him, go visit him." Max urged. Lando sighed, nibbling his bottom lip as he opened the messenger app.

 _'I'm sorry I reacted so oddly seeing you, I was overwhelmed. I would like to meet up with you, if you'd still want me to.'_ Lando typed, hitting send before he could change his mind. 

Charles replied almost instantly.

_'It's fine, I'd love to see you again! I'm taking Seb out to the park in a bit, maybe you can join me?'_

"Go!" Max urged him. "I'll drive you there!" 

Lando took a deep breath and then agreed.

~~~~~

Lando found Charles in the park, sitting on a bench with Sebastian the dog running around in a small enclosed area of the park. 

"Hi." Lando mumbled, sitting down next to him. Charles beamed up at him, but seemed to be trying to keep his enthusiasm under control. Lando nervously offered him a smile.

"I'm sorry about earlier." He muttered shyly. Charles sighed.

"It's fine, honestly." He answered. Lando smiled, gently nudging their shoulders together. Charles turned towards him a bit more, one hand coming to rest on Lando's thigh.

"I really do like you, inside and out." He whispered. "I just want you to know that." Lando blushed. 

"I like you too." He muttered. Charles sighed, a soft smile curling onto his lips. Lando took a deep breath to steady himself and then leaned in closer. Charles's eyes widened a little, and he became very still, even holding his breath.

"I'm not going to walk away this time around." Lando promised, although his voice was trembling with nerves. Charles let out an equally nervous giggle, his hand coming to rest on Lando's cheek. 

"Good." He whispered, before closing the gap between them. Charles's lips were soft, and the kiss was careful and tender, and Lando felt all his nerves fall away. He kissed back easily, wrapping his arms around Charles and god… he just didn't want it to end.

"You do know this means you have to do couple's TikTok challenges with me?" Charles muttered against his lips. Lando huffed out a love.

"I refuse to dance though." He answered. Charles pouted.

"But you'd look so good doing Renegade." He purred, fluttering his eyelashes. Lando glared.

"You can do Renegade with your dog." He chuckled. Charles smiled too, but then his eyes widened.

"Shit! Seb!" He groaned, getting up and looking around for the dog. Seb was still in the small, fenced area, but had sat down near the gate, patiently waiting near the gate for Charles to come get him.

"He is a clever dog, already knows he finally has an owner." Lando said when Charles brought Seb over, the dog wagging his tail happily as he pranched along next to Charles. Charles smiled.

"Two owners." He said, cheeks flushing slightly as he wrapped an arm around Lando's waist. Lando happily cuddled into his touch, standing up on his toes to press another chaste kiss to Charles's lips.

"Still not doing the dancing videos, no matter how cute you try to be." He teased. Charles's bottom lip poked out again in a pout.

"You hurt me." He whined. Lando chuckled.

"You're a drama queen." He answered swiftly. Charles winked.

"And you love me for it."

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr: bwoahtastic  
> I still take requests for Gift Fic Monday!  
> Might write more about Max and his youtube vet, let me know if I should!


End file.
